Gu Xuemin in Her 70s Is Imprisoned in the Women's Prison in Xinxiang, Henan Province

Right after the Mid-Autumn Festival in 2007, 70-year-old Ms. Gu Xuemin suddenly disappeared in Zhoukou City, Henan Province. After searching for her, we discovered that Deputy Chief Zhao Jianshe from the Shanan Police Department in Zhoukou, National Security Team Chief Gao Feng, and people from the Chuanhui District 610 Office¹ had collaborated with the Chuanhui District Court, which directly ordered the arrest of Gu Xuemin, and detained her in the Zhoukou Detention Centre. Three days later, they transferred Ms. Gu to the Xinxiang Women's Prison.

Before she retired, Gu Xuemin was the associate manager of the Oil and Grain Import and Export Company in Zhoukou City. In 1996, she started to practise Falun Gong because the numerous illnesses she had been suffering from were making it almost impossible for her to live. Not long after she started to practise, all the illnesses disappeared. After the persecution started on July 20th, 1999, Ms. Gu was harassed, followed, and her residence was searched by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) personnel from Zhoukou Government agencies, because she informed people about the true nature of Falun Gong. She had been arrested and detained as well.

In October 2005, Gu Xuemin was arrested by policemen headed by Gao Feng from the local office of the National Security Bureau. She was detained in the detention centre. On June 3rd, the Chunhui District Court in Zhoukou conducted a trial against Ms. Gu. During the trial, she told people about the beauty of Falun Gong, and the miraculous changes that had happened to her after she started practising Falun Gong. She also exposed the fact that Gao Feng extorted huge amounts of money from Falun Gong practitioners, but only turned in the change and kept several tens of thousands of yuan² for himself. The judge for the Chuanhui District Court gave Gu Xuemin a three-year prison sentence, but it was suspended for four years. Soon after, Gu Xuemin was able to leave the detention centre.

Not long after the trial, Gao Feng saw Gu Xuemin on the street. He angrily said to her: "We finally put you in prison, but why were you released already?" Afterwards, he reported it to his boss, Zhao Jianshe, and to people at the Chuanhui District 610 Office. The head of the Zhoukou City 610 Office, Yu Yiyun blamed the Chuanhui District Court judge and said that the sentencing of Gu Xuemin had not been "playing the attacking role." Hence, he pressured the people of the District Court to be more harsh with Ms. Gu.

On July 23rd, the judge of the Chuanhui District Court issued a written notice to Gu Xuemin, stating: "The Zhoukou Intermediate Court believes that the verdict was not harsh enough against you, hence it is requesting a review of your verdict. On August 29th, another trial will be conducted." After receiving this notification, Gu Xuemin stayed with her relatives for a few days. Somehow, the people of the district court learned of her whereabouts. They threatened her family members, saying that if Ms. Gu failed to appear in court on the designated date, they would arrest her son (they used the excuse that her son had bailed her out). Unwillingly, Ms. Gu had to abandon her home along with her husband, who had lost the ability to live independently due to illnesses. However, the authorities arrested Gu Xuemin one more time. Her husband and children were even more traumatised by this incident. Ms. Gu's husband was formerly the deputy director of the Bureau for Religion in Zhoukou City. Her arrest caused her husband's physical condition to deteriorate. He is now mentally disabled and has become incontinent. He was therefore sent to a nursing home since nobody could take care of him. Ms. Gu's children were also threatened by policemen because they requested their mother's release. Her youngest son, who had been living with Ms. Gu, also became mentally disoriented after the policemen threatened him.

Related article: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2006/4/2/71488.html

Personnel involved in the persecution of Ms. Gu Xuemin:
Yu Yiyun, Head of the 610 Office in Zhoukou City: 86-394-8269628 (Office), 86-394-8231268 (Home,) 86-13703873781 (Mobile)
Local Public Security in Zhoukou City; Zhao Jianshe, Chief of the Shanan Local Police Department: 86-394-8228222, 86-394-8223602, 86-13592223333(Mobile)
Chuanhui Court - Chen Lei, Deputy Head: 86-13903940215(Mobile)86-394-8306676 (Home), 86-394-8306573 (Office)
Zhoukou City Intermediate Court:
Li Wencan, Judge: 86-394-8159666 (Office), 86-13838636666 (Mobile)

Note

1. "The 610 office" is an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems.

2. "Yuan" is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2007/10/31/165618.html